New and more complex partnerships are emerging to address the sustainability of natural
resource use in developing countries. These partnerships variously link donors, governments,
community-based organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), business,
certification agencies and other intermediaries. High expectations and many resources have
been invested in these initiatives. Yet, we still do not know whether more sophisticated
organizational structures, more stakeholders involved, and more advanced participatory
processes have delivered better sustainability outcomes, and if so, in what sectors and under
what circumstances. To fill this knowledge gap and build capacity in this area, the NEPSUS
research and capacity building project assembles a multidisciplinary team to analyze
sustainability partnerships in three key natural resource sectors in Tanzania: forestry, wildlife
and coastal resources. In each of these sectors, we assess whether co-management with local
communities and private and civil society actors, and putatively more participatory processes
in the governance of renewable resources, result in more equitable and sustainable
livelihoods and environmental outcomes. We compare ‘more complex’ partnerships to
relatively ‘simpler’, more traditional top-down and centralized management systems, and to
instances where sustainability partnerships are not in place. This working paper tackles the
main conceptual, methodological and research design issues arising in this effort.

This working paper takes stock of the academic literature on the governance of
coastal resources and examines the emergence of various instruments, their
implementation experiences and their implications in terms of sustainability
outcomes. More specifically, it seeks to interrogate the literature in order to: (1)
highlight the types of actors involved, their relations and their networks; (2) identify
the main processes involved in the governance of coastal resources and different
partnership models; and (3) evaluate the outcomes of these processes on social and
ecological sustainability. It is the result of activities undertaken by the New
Partnerships for Sustainability (NEPSUS) research and capacity building project,
which analyses sustainability partnerships in three key natural resource sectors in
Tanzania: forestry, wildlife and coastal resources. This paper reviews the overall
literature on governance of coastal resources, with the aim of identifying gaps and
shaping methodological choices for fieldwork.

The paper examines the experience of sustainability partnerships for the management of
coastal resources in Tanzania. It identifies key actors and governance dynamics, with focus on
decentralization processes, legitimacy-building and participation of local communities. The
paper first provides a brief status of coastal resources in Tanzania and a historical overview of
the evolution of co-management practices. Then, it examines actors and processes at the
national and local levels in relation to two types of co-management: Marine Parks (MPAs) and
Beach Management Units (BMUs). In view of ongoing research under the New Partnerships
for Sustainability project (NEPSUS), it provides guidance on research gaps in specific relation
to the Mnazi Bay Ruvuma Estuary Marine Park (MBREMP) and selected BMUs in Mtwara
region, Southern Tanzania.